e61 545i / 550i - any good?
Discussion
...It's the sort of car which a lot of people would like to have but not that many can justify actually owning...
I think you're right. Lots of love but noone with the balls! I'm getting about 23-24 out of mine which I think is awesome for the performance on offer.
This was a two cars into one move for me and it's everything I need in a car. When the time comes to moving it on I can't see what I'd replace it with. Probably a diesel touring and something with two seats.
I think you're right. Lots of love but noone with the balls! I'm getting about 23-24 out of mine which I think is awesome for the performance on offer.
This was a two cars into one move for me and it's everything I need in a car. When the time comes to moving it on I can't see what I'd replace it with. Probably a diesel touring and something with two seats.
Got the Eisenmann fitted today 
.
The fitting went well, no modification required to the bumper and was simply a case of moving the rear hanger to an alternative location (a pre-existing mounting point on the car a few inches to the left). With this done everything lined up well and it naturally sat bang in the middle of the recess once suspended by the rubbers, with just the right amount of protrusion at the back.
I'm very pleased with the sound. It's still very refined in general. Still silent when cruising but with a nice bark on startup and when bimbling round town with the windows down. Overall it's quieter than I expected, especially as it's the 'race' version, but I take this as a positive as it suits the character of the car and I didn't want anything lairy. There is no resonance at all so there obviously has been a fair amount of R&D gone into it by Eisenmann. Overall it's only cost me about 350 so it's a bargain really.
I will try and sort out some videos soon.
Thanks for all the advice up to now.
. The fitting went well, no modification required to the bumper and was simply a case of moving the rear hanger to an alternative location (a pre-existing mounting point on the car a few inches to the left). With this done everything lined up well and it naturally sat bang in the middle of the recess once suspended by the rubbers, with just the right amount of protrusion at the back.
I'm very pleased with the sound. It's still very refined in general. Still silent when cruising but with a nice bark on startup and when bimbling round town with the windows down. Overall it's quieter than I expected, especially as it's the 'race' version, but I take this as a positive as it suits the character of the car and I didn't want anything lairy. There is no resonance at all so there obviously has been a fair amount of R&D gone into it by Eisenmann. Overall it's only cost me about 350 so it's a bargain really.
I will try and sort out some videos soon.
Thanks for all the advice up to now.
hornetrider said:
...It's the sort of car which a lot of people would like to have but not that many can justify actually owning...
I think you're right. Lots of love but noone with the balls! I'm getting about 23-24 out of mine which I think is awesome for the performance on offer.
This was a two cars into one move for me and it's everything I need in a car. When the time comes to moving it on I can't see what I'd replace it with. Probably a diesel touring and something with two seats.
I don't think its having the balls more the miles. It was the perfect car for me when I bought it - I needed a big family car, but wanted a sports car and at the time only did 10-12k miles per year. It satisfied the first 2 points perfectly but my miles have risen considerably.I think you're right. Lots of love but noone with the balls! I'm getting about 23-24 out of mine which I think is awesome for the performance on offer.
This was a two cars into one move for me and it's everything I need in a car. When the time comes to moving it on I can't see what I'd replace it with. Probably a diesel touring and something with two seats.
I think if you do less than <12k a year, the extra petrol cost over something like a 530d or 535d isn't that massive when you consider the 530d won't be getting much above 30mpg around town, when cold etc. Plus servicing costs are a bit cheaper and you don't have to worry about DPF's etc. This is how I convinced myself a year ago anyway!
hornetrider said:
A friend of mine is after a 6 pot E61 but I've seen a few 545s on my searches - they are about. You actively looking/viewing?
Not actively just browsing. There are quite a few on AT etc but a lot of them seem to have been on a while...05/55 reg with 80k on the clock for around £7.5k is my sweet-spot. Just waiting.
Legend83 said:
Not actively just browsing. There are quite a few on AT etc but a lot of them seem to have been on a while...
05/55 reg with 80k on the clock for around £7.5k is my sweet-spot. Just waiting.
No need to thank me 05/55 reg with 80k on the clock for around £7.5k is my sweet-spot. Just waiting.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...
hornetrider said:
I would thank you if I didn't want a saloon.Ah! Doh!
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...
Check out the spec!!!!! Talk about fully loaded.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...
Check out the spec!!!!! Talk about fully loaded.
hornetrider said:
Ah! Doh!
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...
Check out the spec!!!!! Talk about fully loaded.
It is an awesome spec, exactly the sort of car I am looking for.....just not in snot green.http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...
Check out the spec!!!!! Talk about fully loaded.
I am not one to be picky about colour (I currently have two grey cars for gawd's sake) but that is just going too far.
hornetrider said:
Bah. I like it - a break from the norm - and it doesn't look too green.
I am warming to it, particularly due to the price! I would almost prefer it if it was more green - it is in that awkward beige, gold, light green category.Of course it might look ace in the flesh.
Still sorry to see you're having to sell this crazyhorse. I, obviously, totally back up the comments on here about how good an all round package they are. My rationale was both in terms of getting one "all rounder" aswell as scratching that V8 itch.
I'm finding mine the perfect companion with fuel consumption levelling out around 23/24mpg also. Very comparable to my previous 330Ci's and way better than my Focus ST3!
I do think the perception is that they are gas guzzlers and whilst people love the idea of doing it, few are willing to commit. I was in that camp for around 3-4yrs. Always holding off, hoping that something else would satisfy my craving. In the end, I took the plunge and now wish I'd done so years ago.
Eisenmann Sport...mmmmmmm!
I'm finding mine the perfect companion with fuel consumption levelling out around 23/24mpg also. Very comparable to my previous 330Ci's and way better than my Focus ST3!
I do think the perception is that they are gas guzzlers and whilst people love the idea of doing it, few are willing to commit. I was in that camp for around 3-4yrs. Always holding off, hoping that something else would satisfy my craving. In the end, I took the plunge and now wish I'd done so years ago.
Eisenmann Sport...mmmmmmm!
Legend83 said:
No, just at the dreaming / browsing stage. Have you driven one? Comments?
How does the stock exhaust sound compared to say a B6 S4?
I've had an E60 545i ('54 plate) for about 18 months now. About 98k miles and running very, very well - which is a good thing because I've no idea what I could replace it with apart from another newer one!How does the stock exhaust sound compared to say a B6 S4?
The downsides are it's size - it is quite a big car so if you're s
t at parking like me then multi-storey car parks are a very slow affair. Other people seem incapable of not banging into it as well - it does fill an average parking space. It's also quite thirsty: mine is used mostly for very short commutes and so I average 21-22mpg from each tank. However, get it on the motorway and set the cruise for 70-ish and it'll return 27-30mpg.Re exhaust: mine is standard and I've not heard any others in the flesh (but I will get a louder system fitted if the exhaust needs replacing), nor have I driven an S4. I think it's quite well-judged, being near-silent at idle and low speeds and sounding pretty good (but never loud) under heavy load.
Not sure where in Herts you are, but there is a very good indie garage in Amersham called CPC who've done all the work on mine.
I don't want to make you all jealous or anything, but I am driving to the South of France tomorrow. Whilst in, say, a Corsa or a Fiesta that might prove somewhat of a chore I cannot wait! I have been looking forward to really stretching the legs of the 550i. If I didn't have 4 month old twins in the back I would take the much longer, slower non-toll route but as it is I think I best stick to the motorways and hustle down there as quickly as possible - well, not that quickly: I will be travelling via Burgundy (not Paris) and stopping over in Nuits-st-Georges... I wonder what my mpg will be with cruise set to 85 on a French motorway. Am I being optimistic in expecting an average of 30mpg Calais - Collioure?
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